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Trinidad Silva

Highest Rated: 100% Alambrista (1978)

Lowest Rated: 0% Crackers (1984)

Birthday: Jan 30, 1950

Birthplace: Mission, Texas, USA

Character actor Trinidad Silva had a promising career that was cut short far too soon. Born in the small South Texas border town of Mission, Silva was living and working in Los Angeles by his mid 20s. His earliest acting credit came on an episode of the Robert Blake crime drama "Baretta" in 1977. Unfortunately, due to pervasive Latino typecasting of the time, most of Silva's television roles were as criminals or gang members on shows ranging from the police station workhouse comedy "Barney Miller" to the William Shatner action drama "T.J. Hooker." Silva's best and highest-profile TV role, as Jesus Martinez on the critically-acclaimed police drama "Hill Street Blues," transcended this racial stereotype; Martinez was a former street gang leader who became a community activist in an attempt to better himself and his neighborhood. Silva also played more uplifting roles in the illegal-immigrant dramas "Alambrista!" and "El Norte." While filming the Weird Al Yankovic comedy "UHF" in 1988, Silva was killed by a drunk driver who collided with his car in Whittier, California; the film was dedicated to Silva's memory.

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Highest rated movies

100% 78% Alambrista
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77% 71% Colors
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63% 77% UHF
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61% 74% The Milagro Beanfield War
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0% 33% Crackers
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54% The Night Before
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Stones for Ibarra
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93% Walk Proud
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Filmography

Movies

Credit
63% 77% UHF Raul Hernandez (Character) $5.6M 1989
61% 74% The Milagro Beanfield War Milagro Townsperson (Character) $12.7M 1988
77% 71% Colors Leo "Frog" Lopez (Character) $46.1M 1988
No Score Yet 54% The Night Before Tito (Character) - 1988
No Score Yet No Score Yet Stones for Ibarra Basilio Garcia (Character) - 1988
0% 33% Crackers Ramon (Character) - 1984
No Score Yet 93% Walk Proud Dagger (Character) - 1978
100% 78% Alambrista Joe (Character) - 1978

TV

Credit
97% 85% Hill Street Blues Jesus Martinez (Guest Star) 1981-1987
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hunter Hector Rivas (Guest Star) 1986
No Score Yet No Score Yet Barney Miller Puente (Guest Star) 1981
No Score Yet No Score Yet The White Shadow Unknown (Guest Star) 1979